"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Come on and listen to my tale
It's a strange and sorry tale
That's gonna rock you
About a man, the drifting kind
Let the story now unwind
It's gonna shock you
Some people said he was a ghost
Wouldn't want to be his host
Or just to meet him
And if he ever came their way
They'd be sticks and stones, I'd say
That would grieve him
He was a steppenwolf, a lost and lonely one
He was a steppenwolf, forever on the run
He was a steppenwolf, with a forgotten past
He was a steppenwolf, who found a love at last
He was a steppenwolf
The girl he met was out-of-sight
Though she walked the streets at night
He didn't mind it
She seemed as happy as a song
And if anything was wrong
He didn't find it
They used to laugh and dance and drink
And not ever did he think of a payday
No matter where they ever were
Every day he spent with her was a hey-day
He was a steppenwolf, and not a handsome man
He was a steppenwolf, who didn't know her plan
He was a steppenwolf, not very bright at all
He was a steppenwolf, just riding for a fall
He was a steppenwolf
One day she said "it's time you knew
That I started up with you
For just one reason
You're gonna do just what I want
'cause there's something that I want
And I ain't teasing
My life is empty all around
Nothing that I ever found
Would fulfill me
So for a while I'll be with you
When I say that we're through
You must kill me!"
He was a steppenwolf, he cried "it isn't fair"
He was a steppenwolf, "you know how much I care"
He was a steppenwolf, she said "this is the deal"
He was a steppenwolf, he saw this was for real
He was a steppenwolf
He was a steppenwolf, they spent a long last night
He was a steppenwolf, and with a smile she died
He was a steppenwolf, a lost and lonely one
He was a steppenwolf, forever on the run
He was a steppenwolf
It's a strange and sorry tale
That's gonna rock you
About a man, the drifting kind
Let the story now unwind
It's gonna shock you
Some people said he was a ghost
Wouldn't want to be his host
Or just to meet him
And if he ever came their way
They'd be sticks and stones, I'd say
That would grieve him
He was a steppenwolf, a lost and lonely one
He was a steppenwolf, forever on the run
He was a steppenwolf, with a forgotten past
He was a steppenwolf, who found a love at last
He was a steppenwolf
The girl he met was out-of-sight
Though she walked the streets at night
He didn't mind it
She seemed as happy as a song
And if anything was wrong
He didn't find it
They used to laugh and dance and drink
And not ever did he think of a payday
No matter where they ever were
Every day he spent with her was a hey-day
He was a steppenwolf, and not a handsome man
He was a steppenwolf, who didn't know her plan
He was a steppenwolf, not very bright at all
He was a steppenwolf, just riding for a fall
He was a steppenwolf
One day she said "it's time you knew
That I started up with you
For just one reason
You're gonna do just what I want
'cause there's something that I want
And I ain't teasing
My life is empty all around
Nothing that I ever found
Would fulfill me
So for a while I'll be with you
When I say that we're through
You must kill me!"
He was a steppenwolf, he cried "it isn't fair"
He was a steppenwolf, "you know how much I care"
He was a steppenwolf, she said "this is the deal"
He was a steppenwolf, he saw this was for real
He was a steppenwolf
He was a steppenwolf, they spent a long last night
He was a steppenwolf, and with a smile she died
He was a steppenwolf, a lost and lonely one
He was a steppenwolf, forever on the run
He was a steppenwolf
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
He Was a Steppenwolf Lyrics as written by Jay Farian
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.